The present invention relates generally to article, load, or package wrapping machines, apparatus, or systems, and more particularly to a new and improved mechanism or system which is to be utilized in conjunction with such article, load, or package wrapping machines, apparatus, or systems whereby in effect the attachment of the leading edge portion of the wrapping film to the article, load, or package at the commencement of an article, load, or package wrapping cycle, as well as the detachment or severance of the trailing edge portion of the wrapping film from the article, load, or package at the termination of the article, load, or package wrapping cycle, can be achieved in a semiautomatic manner obviating the need for operator personnel to physically, personally, or manually attach or sever the leading and trailing edge portions of the wrapping film to or from the article, load, or package, respectively.
Article, load, or package wrapping machines, apparatus, or systems for wrapping articles, loads, or packages within a suitable wrapping film are of course well-known. In accordance with such article, load, or package wrapping machines, apparatus, or systems, a roll of packaging film is normally mounted upon a film roll carriage, and the film roll carriage is movably mounted, for example, upon an upstanding mast or track member, such that the film roll carriage, having the roll of wrapping film mounted thereon, can be vertically moved between uppermost and lowermost positions while also undergoing relative rotatable movement with respect to the article, load, or package. In this manner, spiral wrapping of the film upon the article, load, or package is able to be achieved in a well-known manner. In order to minimize article, load, or package wrapping cycle time, and therefore maximize article, load, or package wrapping production, that is, the number of articles, loads, or packages that can be wrapped or packaged within a predetermined period of time, it is desirable to, in effect, automate the article, load, or package wrapping cycle as much as possible. One operative part or section of such article, load, or package wrapping cycle in which strides have sought to have been made in order to enhance the automation of the wrapping cycle resides in the attachment or securing, and the detachment or severing, of the end portions of the wrapping film onto and from the particular article, load, or package being wrapped. An automated system of this type is disclosed, for example, within U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,850 which issued to Lancaster, III et al. on Nov. 12, 1996. In accordance with the operative system disclosed within such patent, in order to sever or separate a trailing end portion of the wrapping film 34, which is already wrapped around a load 32, a puncturing device 62 having a plurality of sharp pins 64 is activated such that the sharp pins 64 puncture the trailing end portion of the wrapping film in order to effectively weaken the same. The film delivery or dispensing drive motor 54 is no longer driven, however, the turntable 58, upon which the packaged or wrapped load is disposed, continues to rotate. Consequently, the weakened film is tensioned and stretched, the holes or perforations increase in size, and eventually, the film tears at the weakened sites defined by the punctured holes.
While the aforenoted system is quite satisfactory and has been commercially successful, the system exhibits several operational drawbacks or disadvantages. Firstly, the system is relatively costly and complex. For example, as disclosed within the noted patent, in order to achieve the proper operation of the system, at least three different timer devices or mechanisms must be incorporated or implemented into the system. In particular, a first timer 76a is required in order to decelerate the film delivery drive motor 54 and turntable 58 in preparation for the initiation of the hole puncturing operation to be performed upon the trailing end portion of the wrapping or packaging film, a second timer 76b is required for controlling the solenoid 68 in order to in turn control the actuation of the puncturing device 62, and a third timer 76c is required for controlling the termination of the film delivery drive motor 54 such that the aforenoted tensioning and stretching of the punctured wrapping or packaging film occurs in order to achieve the torn separation of the trailing edge portion of the wrapping or packaging film from the roll of wrapping or packaging film. Secondly, while the semi-automatic wrapping apparatus or system disclosed within the aforenoted patent is utilized to detach, terminate, or sever the trailing end portion of the wrapping or packaging film from the roll of wrapping or packaging film, there is no corresponding means or mechanism for securing, initiating, or attaching the leading end portion of the wrapping or packaging film to the article, load, or package to be wrapped or packaged in a semi-automatic operational mode. More particularly, in accordance with the disclosure of the aforenoted patent, in order to initiate a new wrapping or packaging cycle, an operator must grasp the free leading end portion 70 of the wrapping or packaging film, which is complementary to the trailing end portion of the wrapping or packaging film as formed by means of the aforenoted tearing or separating process facilitated by the puncturing, tensioning, and stretching of the film, and manually apply or secure such free leading end portion 70 of the wrapping or packaging film to the particular article, load, or package to be subsequently wrapped or packaged.
Accordingly, a need exists in the art for a new and improved mechanism or system which can be utilized in conjunction with article, load, or package wrapping apparatus, machines, or systems whereby in effect the attachment of the leading edge portion of the wrapping film to the article, load, or package at the commencement of an article, load, or package wrapping cycle, as well as the detachment or severance of the trailing edge portion of the wrapping film from the article, load, or package at the termination of the article, load, or package wrapping cycle, can be achieved in a semi-automatic manner obviating the need for operator personnel to physically, personally, or manually attach or sever the leading and trailing end portions of the wrapping film to or from the article, load, or package, respectively.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved mechanism or system which is to be utilized in conjunction with package, load, or article wrapping machines, apparatus, or systems for implementing the attachment or securement of a leading end portion of a wrapping or packaging film to an article, load, or package to be wrapped or packaged so as to prepare for the commencement of a film wrapping or packaging operation or cycle, as well as the detachment or severance of a trailing end portion of the wrapping or packaging film from the wrapped or packaged article, load, or package upon termination of the wrapping or packaging operation or cycle.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved mechanism or system which is to be utilized in conjunction with package, load, or article wrapping machines, apparatus, or systems for implementing the attachment or securement of the leading end portion of the wrap-ping or packaging film to the article, load, or package to be wrapped or packaged so as to prepare for the commencement of the film wrapping or packaging operation or cycle, as well as the detachment or severance of the trailing end portion of the wrapping or packaging film from the wrapped or packaged article, load, or package upon termination of the wrapping or packaging operation or cycle, and which effectively overcomes the various operational drawbacks or disadavantages characteristic of the prior art systems.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved mechanism or system which is to be utilized in conjunction with package, load, or article wrapping machines, apparatus, or systems for implementing the attachment or securement of the leading end portion of the wrapping or packaging film to the package, load, or article to be wrapped or packaged so as to prepare for the commencement of the film wrapping or packaging operation or cycle, as well as the detachment or severance of the trailing end portion of the wrapping or packaging film from the wrapped or packaged article, load, or package upon termination of the wrapping or packaging operation or cycle, and which is relatively simple in structure and economical to produce.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved mechanism or system which is to be utilized in conjunction with package, load, or article wrapping machines, apparatus, or systems for implementing the attachment or securement of the leading edge portion of the wrapping film to the article, load, or package to be wrapped or packaged so as to prepare for the commencement of the film wrapping or packaging operation or wrapping cycle, as well as the detachment or severance of the trailing edge portion of the wrapping or packaging film from the package, load, or article upon termination of the article, load, or package wrapping or packaging operation or cycle, in a semiautomatic manner thereby obviating the need for operator personnel to physically, personally, or manually attach or sever the leading and trailing end portions of the wrapping film to or from the article, load, or package, respectively.
The foregoing and other objectives are achieved in accordance with the teachings and principles of the present invention through the provision of a new and improved mechanism or system which comprises a vertically upstanding stanchion or standard upon which a proximal end portion of an actuating arm is pivotally mounted. The actuating arm is pivotally movable between a first inoperative retracted position at which the actuating arm is disposed remote from the flow path of the wrapping or packaging film as the wrapping or packaging film is dispensed from the roll of wrapping or packaging film and wrapped around a load, article, or package disposed at a wrapping station, and a second operative extended position at which the actuating arm is disposed adjacent to the flow path of the wrapping or packaging film. A vertically oriented support plate is fixedly mounted upon a distal end portion of the actuating arm, and a first clamping plate is fixedly mounted upon an upper portion of the support plate. The first clamping plate has an electrically energizable cutting wire mounted thereon, and a second clamping plate is movably mounted upon the vertically oriented support plate. More particularly, the second clamping plate is movable between a first lowered inoperative position, and a second elevated operative position at which the second clamping plate is adapted to cooperate with the first clamping plate so as to clamp a portion of the wrapping or packaging film therebetween.
Accordingly, when a wrapping or packaging operation or cycle is to be terminated, the actuating arm is moved from its first inoperative retracted position remote from the wrapping or packaging film flow path to its second operative extended position adjacent to the wrapping or packaging film flow path, and the second clamping plate is moved from its first lowered inoperative position to its second elevated operative position so as to cooperate with the first clamping plate and thereby clamp a portion of the wrapping or packaging film therebetween. At this time, the cutting wire is energized, and the clamped portion of the packaging or wrapping film is thereby severed. In this manner, the severed trailing end portion of the packaging or wrapping film extending from the packaged or wrapped article, load, or package is able to be secured to the packaged or wrapped article, load, or package, while the severed leading end portion of the packaging or wrapping film extending from the roll of wrapping or packaging film is held or maintained between the first and second clamping plates in preparation for the commencement of a new packaging or wrapping operation or cycle to be performed upon or in connection with a new article, load, or package to be wrapped or packaged when a new article, load, or package to be wrapped or packaged is conveyed to or deposited at the wrapping or packaging station.
Subsequently, the actuating arm is moved or returned to its remote or retracted position with respect to the packaging or wrapping film flow path, and when a new article, load, or package to be wrapped or packaged has been conveyed to or deposited at the wrapping or packaging station, the actuating arm, still having the leading end portion of the wrapping or packaging film held or maintained between its clamping plates, is then moved again to its operative extended position adjacent to the packaging or wrapping film flow path. When a new packaging or wrapping operation or cycle has been partially commenced in connection with the new article, load, or package, the second lower clamping plate is moved downwardly away from the first upper clamping plate such that the leading end portion of the packaging or wrapping film held or maintained between the first and second clamping plates is now released, the new packaging or wrapping operation or cycle being performed upon or in connection with the new article, load, or package is continued, and the actuating arm is moved from its second operative extended position adjacent to the wrapping or packaging film flow path so as to again be returned to its first inoperative retracted position remote from the packaging or wrapping film flow path. When the new packaging or wrapping operation or cycle is to be terminated, the actuating arm will once again be moved from its first inoperative retracted position back to its second operative extended position adjacent to the wrapping or packaging film flow path in preparation for a clamping and severing operation whereby the operating cycles are cyclically repeated.